Last Thanksgiving all three of our children and
their families came home for the holiday.
When the whole crew gets together, more than at any other time, the
sounds of music and laughter permeate our home. What a blast!!
At one point I was puttering around in the kitchen
when I heard someone playing the piano just for fun. It wasn’t until I heard the familiar melody of Chopin’s
Prelude in D Flat Major that curiosity got the best of me and I peeked my head
out to see who was playing. It was
Mitch, aka Trekker’s dad, aka Jesse’s soul mate. The music he was playing was beautiful.
Now fast forward a month or two later when I am
kicking around ideas of which hymn to arrange for Mitch. I knew that A Poor Wayfaring Man of
Grief was one of his favorites. Then I thought back to the day he had played
Chopin so I decided I would try to combine the two.
A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief was also a favorite
of the prophet Joseph Smith. He
and his brother, Hyrum, requested that it be sung twice in the upstairs bedroom
at Carthage jail the afternoon they were killed. The lyrics to the hymn begin:
A poor wayfaring Man of grief
Hath often crossed me on my way,
Who sued so humbly for relief
That I could never answer nay.
I had not pow’r to ask his name,
Whereto he went, or whence he came;
Yet there was something in his eye
That won my love; I knew not why.
The verses that follow then mirror
the message in Matthew 25:40: Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least
of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
This is for you, Mitch. Thanks for bringing your adventurous, brave, and fun-loving spirit
to our family!! You’re the
greatest!!
Just ran across this one -- what an intriguing and well-constructed piece. Thanks for putting it together and for making it available.
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